Best places in East of England for young professionals
Persona weighting: Affordability (rent) 25%, Connectivity (broadband) 25%, Living cost (council tax) 20%, Safety (low crime) 15%, Health (life expectancy) 10%, Schools (Ofsted Good+) 5%.
Updated quarterly · from the latest government data releases.
What is the best place to live in East of England for young professionals?
As of 2026-06-19, the best East of England local authority for young professionals is Southend-on-Sea, scoring 71.9/100 on the Gera Persona Fit index — a persona-weighted composite of rent, crime, Ofsted schools, broadband, life expectancy and council tax across 45 East of England local authorities. GeraRent recomputes it quarterly.
| # | Area | Persona Fit | GLS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southend-on-Sea | 71.9 | 69.7 |
| 2 | Peterborough | 70.9 | 67.4 |
| 3 | Ipswich | 70.8 | 68.5 |
| 4 | Braintree | 69.2 | 68.0 |
| 5 | Luton | 68.4 | 66.5 |
| 6 | Maldon | 67.6 | 67.7 |
| 7 | East Cambridgeshire | 66.9 | 67.8 |
| 8 | Thurrock | 66.1 | 62.8 |
| 9 | Fenland | 65.4 | 63.7 |
| 10 | Brentwood | 65.2 | 67.0 |
| 11 | Norwich | 65.2 | 64.0 |
| 12 | Huntingdonshire | 65.1 | 66.2 |
| 13 | East Suffolk | 65.0 | 65.8 |
| 14 | Uttlesford | 65.0 | 68.2 |
| 15 | Cambridge | 64.8 | 65.8 |
| 16 | Rochford | 64.3 | 66.1 |
| 17 | Basildon | 63.8 | 63.9 |
| 18 | Three Rivers | 63.7 | 65.4 |
| 19 | Chelmsford | 63.3 | 65.5 |
| 20 | Tendring | 63.1 | 62.2 |
| 21 | St Albans | 62.7 | 65.8 |
| 22 | Babergh | 62.2 | 65.4 |
| 23 | North Hertfordshire | 62.2 | 64.1 |
| 24 | West Suffolk | 62.2 | 64.7 |
| 25 | Bedford | 61.8 | 64.3 |
| 26 | Epping Forest | 61.4 | 63.9 |
| 27 | Dacorum | 61.3 | 64.0 |
| 28 | Great Yarmouth | 61.3 | 61.5 |
| 29 | Stevenage | 61.3 | 61.8 |
| 30 | Watford | 61.2 | 61.6 |
| 31 | Central Bedfordshire | 60.7 | 63.6 |
| 32 | Broxbourne | 60.6 | 63.4 |
| 33 | Colchester | 60.4 | 62.6 |
| 34 | South Cambridgeshire | 60.3 | 64.7 |
| 35 | Broadland | 59.9 | 63.5 |
| 36 | Mid Suffolk | 58.2 | 62.6 |
| 37 | Breckland | 58.0 | 60.8 |
| 38 | East Hertfordshire | 57.9 | 62.1 |
| 39 | Welwyn Hatfield | 57.7 | 61.1 |
| 40 | South Norfolk | 57.5 | 61.6 |
| 41 | King's Lynn and West Norfolk | 57.4 | 59.4 |
| 42 | Hertsmere | 56.6 | 60.3 |
| 43 | Harlow | 55.7 | 58.0 |
| 44 | Castle Point | 55.1 | 58.8 |
| 45 | North Norfolk | 51.2 | 57.3 |
Young professionals in other regions
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Search rentals on GeraRentSources (all Open Government Licence v3.0):
- ONS — Price Index of Private Rents — as of May 2026.
- HM Land Registry — UK House Price Index — as of April 2026.
- MHCLG — Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England — as of 2026-27.
- Ofcom — Connected Nations (Gera Broadband Index) — as of July 2024.
- ONS — Life expectancy by local authority — as of 2017-19.
- Ofsted — State-funded school inspection outcomes — as of 31 May 2026.
- Home Office — Police recorded crime (PFA) + ONS population — as of Year ending December 2025.
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 © Crown copyright. Recorded-crime figures are neutral official statistics shown as context only and must not be used to characterise an area or its residents.